Category Archives: Maternity Leave

Fact: The 3rd trimester of pregnancy begins at week #28, and lasts an average of 10-14 weeks, as measured by standard linear time on a Gregorian calendar.

Fact: The 3rd trimester actually lasts approximately 25 years in time as experienced by women with Hyperemesis Gravidarum. It feels like forever plus another forever on top. Especially when trying to muddle through pregnant life as a productive contributor to the work force.

One of the biggest sources of stress for me prior to returning to the office was the thought of pumping. Being a breastfeeding mother means you must stop and interrupt whatever you are doing every 3 hours or so to either feed your baby, or express the milk you would be feeding your baby. Every. 3. Hours. Not the most compatible thing with a typical 9-5 working life.

For anyone out there feeling overwhelmed by how to make this work, let’s start with the basics:

This little Bear cub just had her 1st Birthday celebration, and I couldn’t help but dig through the archives for old pictures from those fleeting newborn days. It feels apropos, as I begin this blog and reminisce about my beginning as a mom. I never expected to enjoy a baby so much (I’d never really been interested in them before). But I was instantly captivated. These images are probably my favorite; at just 2 weeks old she seemed to be laughing with me as though we were old friends, and was already showing her insatiable curiosity. My baby Bear didn’t understand that newborn pictures are supposed to feature calm, peacefully sleeping babies. (I wonder what one of those is like?)